Scholary Scoop - Payton Scoggin

A study with over 20,000 Canadian seniors found that receiving more hugs was linked to better self-rated health. Participants were asked how often they received hugs and rated their health. Those who received more hugs had better health. The study also found that hugs can reduce stress and have positive effects on blood pressure, heart rate, and coping behaviors. This is important because good health leads to a longer and healthier life, especially for older individuals. Welcome to the Scholarly Scoop, serving you science on 98.7 WZMO, the voice of Monona. I'm Lita from Oakport. Today's scoop is presented by a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student. Hi, I'm Payton from Kenosha, Wisconsin. The question today is, does an availability of hugs relate to self-rated health among those 65 and older? 20,258 Canadians aged 65 years or older completed a cross-sectional survey. This was a nationally representative data set. They were asked, how often do you have someone who hugs you if you need it? The possible responses were in five categories, consisting of all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, a little of the time, or none of the time. The health of the participants was measured with the question. In general, would you say your health is poor, fair, good, very good, or excellent? The researchers then put the answers into two categories and compared the poor and fair responses to the good, very good, and excellent responses. Results revealed that individuals who experienced more hugs had significantly greater odds of a higher self-rated health compared to those who received less hugs. The research also showed on other measures that receiving hugs reduces the impact of one's daily struggles, decreases blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels, as well as strengthens positive coping behaviors. I think it's important to understand this because good health leads to a longer and healthier life. If hugs can help an individual's health, then it is important to know about, especially when it comes to older individuals. And that's your scholarly scoop on 98.7 FM, WVMO, the voice of Monona.